Almost melted my intake manifold on a test run near Lake Tahoe

I was out near Lake Tahoe last summer trying to dial in my tuner on a hot day... temps were hitting 105 and I thought my intercooler could handle it. About 15 miles up a steep grade, I saw my intake temps spike past 140 degrees and my engine started pulling timing hard. I pulled over at a scenic overlook and popped the hood, found my stock intercooler was heat soaking like crazy. Turns out my new cold air intake was pulling air right off the radiator fan... no good. I ended up fabbing a quick heat shield out of some aluminum sheet I had in the truck bed and routing a duct from the grille. It dropped temps by 20 degrees on the way back down, but I know I need a proper solution. Has anyone here dealt with heat soak on a 2015+ 3.5L Ecoboost and found a reliable intercooler upgrade without breaking the bank?

3 comments

3 Comments

samjohnson24d ago

Maybe I missed it but did you check your boost leaks too?

blake69124d ago

Plastic parts and hot engines just don't get along.

riley_taylor22d ago

Did you ever have one of those intake tubes just melt into a puddle on the exhaust manifold?